photometriccalibrationforwfcamdata.docVIP

Photometric Calibration for WFCAM data Author: Simon Hodgkin Document Number: VDF-PLA-IOA-00008-0001 Version Number: 1.2 Date: 30th March 2005 Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 State of Play 3 3 Photometric Calibration of Wide Field NIR Images 4 4 Detailed Discussion of WFCAM Calibration 5 4.1 Choice of Primary Standards 5 4.2 Spatial Calibration 5 4.3 Choice of Secondary Fields 5 4.4 Narrow Band Filters 7 4.5 New broadband filters 8 4.6 Definition of magnitude system 8 4.7 Science Requirement 8 5 References 8 6 Appendices 11 6.1 Definition of the problem 11 6.2 Commissioning Calibration Plan 8 6.3 Nightly Calibration Plan 10 6.4 The 2MASS standard fields 11 6.5 Proposed Secondary Standard Fields 12 Standard Field Selection 12 Selection Criteria 12 WFCAM saturation 13 Reduced List 13 6.6 List of Standards 15  Introduction The purpose of this document is to discuss the photometric calibration of data from the planned UKIRT Wide Field Camera (WFCAM) in the context of the Vista Data Flow System (VDFS). The first draft of this document has been prepared to coincide with the WFCAM observing workshop (held at ROE during 12-13/6/2003). The specific aims of the document are: to describe in detail factors which could affect the photometric calibration of data taken with WFCAM. to suggest techniques for investigating the photometric performance of the instrument and telescope during commissioning. to propose nightly observing strategies which will enable photometry to be measured to the accuracy required by the UKIDSS science programmes. This document does not discuss in any detail post-facto calibration of WFCAM data via overlapping or bootstrapping techniques, although we do raise the issue. It is intended that this document will evolve to incorporate the results of discussion around the issues raised (and omitted!) herein. State of Play Hambly et al. (2001) have already written a detailed document discussing WFCAM calibration and in particular inves